Nanning, September 9 (ZXS) -- Southeast Asian style streets, special restaurants, themed performances... Walk into the Fangte ASEAN Mythology Theme Park located in Nanningqinghuan Road, Guangxi, and enjoy a full view of the rich and exotic style of Southeast Asia. This cultural expo park takes the famous cultural elements of the 10 ASEAN countries as the core content, and adopts modern high-tech means to show the customs and customs of the <> ASEAN countries.

The 20th China-ASEAN Expo (hereinafter referred to as the East Expo) will be held in Nanning. On the eve of the East Expo, Anhui tourists Zhou Lingling and Zhang Jingjing "checked in" Nanning together. Dressed in Southeast Asian costumes, they immersed themselves in projects such as "Into Angkor", "Song of a Thousand Islands" and "Looking for a Merlion" in Nanning Fangte. "It's really enjoyable, and you can 'travel to the <> ASEAN countries in one day' without going abroad." Zhou Lingling said.

Recently, tourists experienced ASEAN style at the Fangte ASEAN Mythology Theme Park located in Nanning, Guangxi. Photo by China News Agency reporter Huang Yanmei

Nanning is China's closest provincial capital to ASEAN. With the holding of the East Expo, Nanning has become one of the most familiar Chinese cities in ASEAN countries. Walking through the streets and alleys of Nanning, the colorful "ASEAN elements" are obvious, landmark buildings that integrate traditional ASEAN style have risen, and ASEAN special food has "blossomed everywhere".

"I have fulfilled many dreams in Nanning." Jinli, 42, from Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, currently runs a Thai restaurant and a Thai clothing store in Nanning. "My husband is from Nanning, we have three lovely children and live happily here. I will continue to work hard in Nanning and build a 'cultural bridge' between Thailand and China with food and clothing." Jin Li said in an interview with the China News Agency.

Participated in the East Expo many times, allowing Malaysian entrepreneur Wong Kwok Long's career to "go to a higher level". "China's consumer market is huge and the business opportunities are limitless. Our company's durian products continue to develop and innovate, and the product range has increased from 8 4 years ago to more than 80 today. He said.

In recent years, with the East Expo as the framework, a series of bilateral meetings between China and ASEAN have been held in Nanning, forming a "Nanning channel" for open cooperation between China and ASEAN. Nanning has gradually developed into a "transit station" for trade exchanges between China and ASEAN, and Nanning's location advantages and market prospects for opening up and cooperation with ASEAN are increasingly optimistic by the business community.

The Sino-Singapore Nanning International Logistics Park project, with a total investment of about 100 billion yuan, is accelerating. The China-ASEAN characteristic commodity gathering center in the logistics park is full of ASEAN characteristic products such as Vietnamese coffee, Thai seasoning, and Singapore bak kut tea.

"We will give full play to Nanning's geographical advantages and strive to make the China-ASEAN Specialty Commodity Gathering Center the first stop for ASEAN merchants to enter the Chinese market and an important window for Chinese merchants to enter the ASEAN market." Zhao Haiyan, chairman of Guangxi Xinzhong Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., said.

On August 8, the China-ASEAN (Nanning) Fruit Trading Center project was inaugurated. Photo by China News Agency reporter Huang Yanmei

Relying on the industrial layout plan of China-Singapore Nanning International Logistics Park and the advantages of online and offline one-stop business platform of China-ASEAN Characteristic Commodity Convergence Center, the China-ASEAN (Nanning) Fruit Trading Center project was recently inaugurated. The project will build an industrial chain system for fruit import and export trade supply chain and create a regional fruit distribution center for ASEAN.

"Nanning is focusing on building a cross-border industrial chain supply chain value chain for ASEAN. We will make high-quality plans to promote the construction of the China-ASEAN Cross-border Industrial Integration Development and Cooperation Zone, and accelerate the construction of an international metropolis open to ASEAN and cooperation. Nanning Mayor Hou Gang said.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the East Expo. Over the past 20 years, from serving the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area to promoting the "Belt and Road" initiative to take root in ASEAN countries, to promoting the entry into force and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the East Expo has witnessed the opening of China's door wider and wider, and the process of China-ASEAN regional economic integration has continued to develop in depth.

Professor Zhai Kun of the School of International Studies of Peking University believes that the East Expo has become a high-end platform for China and ASEAN countries to gather consensus and align development strategies, and is an effective carrier for promoting bilateral and multilateral economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, and promoting trade facilitation.

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said that the 20th East Expo will be based on the new starting point of China-ASEAN cooperation, focusing on high-level opening up and cooperation, and will hold the theme side event of "Institutional Openness: New Pattern of Regional Economic Development" for the first time, forming relevant achievements with ASEAN countries in deepening rules, regulations, management, standards and other institutional opening fields, upgrading high-level platforms for open cooperation such as pilot free trade zones, creating a convenient place for domestic and international dual-circulation markets, injecting new momentum into the regional economy, and promoting the formation of a new pattern of regional development. (End)